"Are the 8-year-olds and 10-year-olds dreaming of owning a PlayStation 6?": Netflix gaming boss thinks consoles and controllers will "restrain us"

PS5 on dark blue background
(Image credit: Future)

Netflix has made some notable investments in gaming, acquiring studios and lining its streaming app with an array of playable titles. (Reports suggest it's also recently shut down a AAA game studio featuring a team of former God of War, Overwatch, Halo, and Gears of War devs.) For Netflix gaming boss Alain Tascan, the game industry is a story of constant change, and kids these days might not care about theoretical PlayStation 6.

During a talk at the Game Developers Conference last week attended by GamesRadar+, Tascan was asked if Netflix might consider developing console games. Tascan noted that the company is "open to opportunities," but wasn't sure there's a tremendous "advantage" for Netflix to make games for console platforms.

"The person you should ask is not me. Look at the younger generation. Are the eight-year-olds and ten-year-olds dreaming of a PlayStation 6?" Tascan asked, concluding, "I'm not sure. They are willing and wanting to interact with any interactive digital screen, whatever it is, wherever it is, even in the car."

Tascan was quick to add "I love console," but console platforms are "limiting the way you think, because you think console, you think of high-def, you think of controller." He referenced major industry shifts like 3D graphics, mobile platforms, social gaming, and games as a service, saying "it changes. And if we look at this older model I think it will restrain us. I'm not wanting to quote Marshall McLuhan saying 'the medium is the content,' but for us, it can be. If we start opening our mind, I believe this is where it's going to be interesting."

Days after shutting its AAA game studio filled with former God of War and Overwatch talent, Netflix announces a "new initiative" powered by AI.

Dustin Bailey
Staff Writer

Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.

With contributions from